Life is Dull
by Tankard Anthemwise
Summary: Join Nepgear and co. in their adventure to save Gamindustri, with a new, snarky commentator from a different dimension in their party the whole time. Takes place at the beginning of Mk2. The new character is a self insert, but I have no plans on letting him actually being involved in battle (not that he would add much).
1. Chapter 1

Summary: This is probably going to be another terrible self insert into the Neptunia universe, but I'ma see where it goes. Also, this will be taking place near the beginnings of Mk2.

Also,

Disclaimer: This is purely for fun. I own no rights to the Neptunia franchise and have no plans on ever using this terrible fanfiction for commercial purposes.

* * *

><p>Life is exceedingly boring. I mean that in the most positive way possible. Because it is boring, we don't have to worry about evil syndicates, world ending calamities, or other fantastical developments. Instead, we should be perfectly content with the lives we live now.<p>

Unfortunately, life is also pretty suffering. Loved ones die, friendships fade, poverty and disease run rampant... So forgetting about our troubles is something of a godsend. We all have manner of coping with dull reality, and, for me, it was gaming.

In games, I could act out fantasies without having to worry about the repercussions of letting a squadmate die, or causing a war of unspeakable scale, or I could even have a harem in my school days without worrying about being stabbed in the chest, decapitated, then having my lover cradle my head on a boat while it sailed off into the horizon… Anyway, the point is, games are awesome. And there were times when I did wish life was more gamelike...

"OH DEAR LORD IN HEAVEN, WHAT IS HAPPENING!?"

I was falling. Fast. Toward the ground.

"WHE-WHERE AM I!?"

I had just come from the land of dreams to being plummeted to the ground. Perhaps I was still tired, but I had no idea how I got into this situation. This is exactly the kind of situation I didn't want to happen in real life. Unfortunately, I was obviously awake and this WAS happening.

Now, in this situation, my first reaction was maybe I had some weird dream that I thought I was still at my bed, but quite possibly I was sleeping on my way to go skydiving… No. Impossible. That doesn't even make sense. I've never even had the desire to skydive. Besides, I had no parachute on my back. And I was wearing… pajamas?

"WHAT IS GOING ON!"

Turning my focus back to the imminent danger below me, I noticed that the land did seem surprisingly lush and green. Or rather, I would have thought that had I not been still trying process how I got in this situation. Actually, I think I noticed three dots walking on the road below me. Towards my would-be crashing site. Well, no sense in hurting other people with my soon-to-be corpse. I think I can cope with dying, but killing someone else would just be a dick move.

"OUT OF THE WAY! MOVE! MOVE! MOOOOOOOVE!"

* * *

><p>"Now that you've gotten the power from Planeptune's mascot character, do you think we should head straight to Lastation to stop Ms. Underling or head to Histy to tell her what happened?"<p>

A peach haired girl was speaking to two others.

"Well, we ought to head back to the Basilicom first. Histoire needs to know what happened with the mascot character. Also, she might be able to help us meet with Lastation's CPU candidate since she has more authority than we do."

A brown haired girl answered her compatriot.

"I do hope that we can get along with the other nation's Basilicoms."

The third, lavender haired girl responded this time.

"...VE…"

"Did you guys just hear something?"

The brown haired girl stopped and looked around.

"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!"

She was certain she heard something. But she couldn't find the source of the sound.

"Gasp! Iffy, look!"

The peach haired girl was now pointing at the sky.

"Compa, staring at the sun is not good for your… wha? Nepgear, transform, now!"

"R-roger!"

* * *

><p>"MOVE! MOVE! MO-!"<p>

Huh? One of those dots seems to be getting closer to me faster than the others. Much faster. Are those… wings?

"Augh!"

A winged, lilac haired girl in some weird white suit had grabbed my arm and was easing me to the ground, trying to prevent my body from having an intimate relationship with it. While she was successful, my arm was certainly in a lot of pain. She descended back down to her two friends, who were waiting below.

"Are you okay?"

"Huff… huff… Give me a second, please."

This near death experience certainly was taking its toll on me. I'll be dying at a young age thanks to that. Now, who was my savior?

Looking up, I saw three incredibly beautiful girls. One had long brown hair, emerald green eyes, and was wearing an overly large blue jacket. Another had peach colored hair. She was wearing a white tank top... sweater?... thing and a plaid skirt. I couldn't help but notice her bosom was quite large as well. The last, the girl who flew to my rescue, had long lilac-colored hair. Her clothes were definitely the most… eccentric. She was wearing what looked like some white latex… armor? In all honesty, it was hard to classify it. It almost looked like a one-piece swimsuit. Glancing up, I decided it was time to answer her previous question...

"Um… do all angels have power signals for eyes?"

"Hahahaha!"

The brown haired girl started laughing up a storm. Obviously, my question seemed weird to them. But I had no idea why. This winged girl had power signals in her eyes. Also, I was just falling from the sky after going to sleep. I'm probably already dead, right? Looking at the other two, the Angel(?) seemed to be blushing a little, as if she wasn't sure what to say, and the peach haired girl didn't seem to be responding either way.

"Well, anyway, thank you very much for catching me. Is this normally how people get into Heaven? What's the deal with this? Trying to scare people to make deals never to sin again if God comes and saves them or something?"

The brown haired girl, still laughing, finally came forward to answer my questions.

"Heheh… At first I thought you were trying to hit on Nepgear here. But to think you actually thought you were dead and that this place is Heaven is even better. Anyway, you're not dead. This isn't Heaven. It's Planeptune."

"Come again?"

"Planeptune. You know, home to CPU Purple Heart? The Land of Purple Progress?"

"..."

I'm waiting for her to crack a smile, but she seems to have a really good poker face. Well, whatever. If I'm not dead, then I need to figure where I really am. So I'll just cut to the chase.

"Look, I think you for saving me, but I really just want to get home. Could you at least tell me what country I'm really in?"

The three looked at each other quizzically. Wait, was she serious?

"Uh… that is… You were joking about this place being called 'Planeptune,' right?"

"No, this really is Planeptune."

This time, the peach haired girl had answered. The brown haired girl came close to her and whispered into her ear. Then, the peach haired girl responded. I could only make out parts of the conversation they were having.

"...Deja vu...reminds me of Neptune… take him to the Basilicom?... trust him…?"

"Um… So, I want to get this straight. I'm not dead, right? I'm in a place called 'Planeptune,' and this girl with wings and power symbols for eyes isn't and ang… Agh!"

The winged girl had disappeared. Instead, there was a girl that looked similar to her, but her hair was a darker, lavender color.

"Who… where… Ugh…"

That's it; I'm insane.

"Wh-what is it?"

"I thought… that you had wings... and that you had power symbols for eyes... and that you were wearing different clothing… hm…"

This new girl had on what looked like a sailor uniform dress. Well, to be more precise, it was so short that it looked more like the shirt part of a sailor uniform and she just decided not to wear any pants today. Quite promiscuous, really. Yeah, I need to look somewhere else now. I'm still wearing pajamas, after all.

The brown and peach haired girls finally stopped whispering and looked like they had come to some decision concerning my presence.

"Hey… umm…"

The peach haired girl spoke first.

"Nathan."

"Na-son? Nassan?"

"If that's too hard to say, then 'Nate' is just fine."

What in the world? She's acting like she's Japanese, but we're definitely speaking English. Ah well, maybe it's her second language. After all, I have no way of knowing what this "Planeptune" place's official language is.

"Well then, Nate. I'm Compa! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Same to you guys. After all, had I not dropped in on you guys, I'd be having a much less… pleasant… time with the ground over there."

"Heh, that certainly is true. Now, I'm a nurse-in-training, and… well, you might want to sit down for this."

"Hm? Why?"

"Well, you might pass out when I tell you you might have brain damage."

"I have brain damage?"

"Oh, you knew already? Why didn't you say something earlier? Iffy and I could've saved a bunch of time just now."

"No, that was a question. Why do you think I have brain damage?"

"Well, I mean, last time a person came falling from the sky, she had amnesia. So, it stands to reason that you would also have some damage. Especially since you aren't a CPU"

What kind of "reason" is that? And why is she comparing me to a computer part? Come to think of it, the brown haired girl said something about a CPU earlier. These girls are beyond weird…

"Well, I don't think I have brain damage. The only part of me that even hurts is my arm."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was so worried that I ended up forgetting to take it easy on you, so I ended up pulling up on your arm more than I should have. Are you okay?"

The lavender haired girl was talking this time.

"Oh, I'm just fine, all things considered. I really do appreciate it… uh…"

"Ah! I'm Nepgear. I'm the younger sister of Planeptune's CPU, Neptune!"

So they really were serious about the Planeptune thing. But…

"You guys keep talking about this 'CPU' thing. What is it, exactly?"

"Oh no! Did you forget about the CPUs? Or maybe ASIC's influence is so strong that people no longer remember the CPUs?"

Compa managed to say a whole bunch of things that I didn't understand. I feel like this conversation won't get anywhere if I rely on her for information. I turned towards the brown haired girl.

"Um… if you don't mind, can I have your name?"

She smirked a little.

"You don't need to be so formal. We're all friends here. I'm IF."

This place certainly has weird names for people. Then again, Planeptune is a weird name, too. I'm also not sure if this is a real country. Perhaps I'm in some part of an anarchist society that no country officially recognizes?

"Well, IF, if it pleases you, would you explain to me where I am and what a CPU is?"

"Well, I certainly wouldn't mind, but we are actually in kind of a hurry. We spent quite a bit of time here. I can explain on the way back to where we're going, but are you sure you're fit for moving?"

"I'm just peachy."

"Hmhmm. Then let's get going."

Come to think of it, I doubt they'd be out in this field for no good reason.

"So Planeptune is the name of this country. Out of the four countries in the world, it is considered the most technologically advanced."

Four countries? Four? FOUR!?

"FOUR COUNTRIES? What happened to the other 200-something countries!?"

"Uh… what?"

"There's over 200 countries in the world. And Planeptune is definitely nothing I've ever heard of before!"

I can't believe what I'm hearing. There's no way these are just some sort of radicals. It's like I'm in a whole other world… No. No no no no no. Absolutely not.

"200!? There's no way any of the CPUs would ever have enough shares to do anything for their nations in that case! Oh right, you don't remember the CPUs, either, huh? I guess that explains that. The CPUs are born along with the birth of a country. They are kind of like the country in human-like form, but have supernatural powers that help protect the land. Nepgear, here, is a candidate that was born from the Shares of this country, so she has similar powers, as you saw earlier."

No no no no

"Ah, you probably don't know about Shares either. Shares are pretty much the faith people have in their CPUs. So the better a CPU leads her land, the more Shares she gets, and, as such, she gains more power."

No… No…

"But about three years ago, an evil entity known as 'Arfoire' was trying to awaken. The four CPUs and Nepgear tried to stop her, but were all defeated in battle by Arfoire's minions. Compa and I were able to rescue Nepgear recently, but the Shares in the CPUs has deteriorated across all four continents."

"Hold on. Please. This is way too much information. Also, I, and please don't treat me like a victim of insanity when I say this, may, in fact, be from what you would call 'a parallel universe'."

"..."

All three girls were now staring at me like I was about to say 'just kidding' or something. Well, I suppose that's only natural. I'm speaking nonsense to them.

"I'm not joking. Now, I'm not positive about this, as I can't logically figure out how I got here. But my entire being is screaming at me telling me that there is something wrong here. I mean, I thought Nepgear was an angel because people can't fly. There's no such thing as winged people in my reality. This CPU concept you have is beyond the scope of my world, though I do wish we had a method similar to your Shares for my world's politics. Certainly would make politicians more accountable for their actions… Anyway, logically, I must be from a different dimension… probably."

"How is that logical?" IF asked.

"Yeah, well, what other explanation is there?"

"Either you are lying to us about everything, though I can't sense any deceit from you, or you're brain damaged, like Compa said. Hell, I'd have an easier time believing aliens had abducted you than interdimensional travel."

"Oh please. Why would aliens want anything to do with me? I'm so boring. All I ever do is sit around, looking at a computer screen all day. I'm like the LEAST likely person to be abducted by aliens."

"Well, if you discount aliens, that means the only logical explanation is brain damage, then."

"That isn't the only explanation. Also, your 'logic' seems off. And, while being brain damaged certainly could cause something akin to this, I can assure you that I am mentally well… within standard deviations of the word 'well'."

"That doesn't exactly inspire confidence in us."

"Yeah. Sorry. I don't exactly understand my situation myself."

"Let's just ask Histoire when we get back home."

"Not sure who that is, but if you think she can help, then I'm all up for that."

"She's probably the only person who would be able to understand what's going on if you really are from another dimension."

"Alright, excellent. Lead the way."

* * *

><p>Reality is very boring. However, because of this, it is predictable. Things can be explained in rational ways. We can understand the laws of nature. We know the limits and boundaries of life and the universe. If someone were to say something fantastical, people would be able to call them out for it.<p>

In the past, I yearned for adventure, for fantasy, without truly understanding the repercussions of such desires. And now, I'm stuck in this situation. Between three silent women walking through a green field toward some strange city off in the distance in a foreign world where physics seemed to be an afterthought of whatever deity or explosion created this world.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: This is purely for fun. I own no rights to the Neptunia franchise and have no plans on ever using this fanfiction for commercial purposes.

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><p>This silence is deafening. I'm used to either listening to music or other people talking, but these three all seem too uncomfortable for casual conversation; possibly wondering what kind of topic they could bring up that I'd actually understand. Come to think of it…<p>

"Compa?"

"Y-yes!?"

She seemed surprised that I broke the silence.

"I was wondering, you mentioned that you were a nurse-in-training earlier, right? Do you mean that as a sort of apprenticeship, collegiate studies, internship, or some such?"

"Ah, I go to a university in Planeptune. Unfortunately, due to the bad goings-on in the world, schools everywhere have been closed indefinitely."

She seemed comfortable about this topic. Maybe I'm not as antisocial as I once thought. Just need to make sure this conversation keeps going.

"Seriously? That seems… wait, around the world? What kind of cataclysmic world did I fall in to?"

"Well, thanks to ASIC, production has fallen everywhere in the world. Intellectual property is pirated on a daily basis and about roughly 80% of the world follows ASIC. They're an evil syndicate of sorts that has been passing out ways to pirate content. So games are no longer being bought and Gamindustri is in peril," IF answered. Seems she couldn't bare the silence any longer either.

"Aside from this ASIC thing, I actually understood that. But why haven't the police done anything?"

"Well, firstly, the balance of Gamindustri is the work of the CPUs. With their absence, military and police are both without any adequate guidance. Then, with the rise of ASIC, an evil syndicate more or less, they started signing off on their paychecks and everything just kind of went to hell."

"... Sellouts."

"Heheh, yeah. How does your world function without CPUs though? You mentioned something about politicians earlier."

"My society is roughly democratic. People vote for whom they want to lead. Though it's probably more proper to say they vote against whom they don't want to win. I could go into this topic in detail, but that would take way too much time, and, in my experience, people dislike talking about politics. They either find it boring or I'll say something they don't agree with and then act like I'm an idiot."

"I… see…"

"Oh, sorry. That's just me rambling. But, wait, do you believe I'm from another world now?"

"Not exactly. But I can't really say that you AREN'T from one either. As I said, Histoire should be able to help you."

"Speaking of which, who is this Histoire person?"

"She's the oracle of Planeptune's Basilicom, the government building. Essentially, she helps keep the nation running. Histoire, herself, is… well… she's not human, but she's not a CPU either. She's a tome."

"A tome? As in a book? Your books sentient here, as well? And here I thought I saw everything with magical girl Nepgear over there."

Nepgear's head perked up when she heard her name, but then quickly hid herself behind Compa while IF answered me:

"Well, she's more of the representation of the tome itself. Similar to how the CPUs are representations of their nations. To be honest, we don't exactly understand all that ourselves…"

We all fell into silence again. This silence is drilling into my head… Oh? What is this? I stopped walking and picked up something off the ground.

"Hey, you guys… um… is this normal?"

"AH! Nate, put that down!"

IF seemed worried about something.

"Why? It doesn't seem dangerous."

"That's a Dogoo! A Dogoo!"

A what? This blue gelatinous blob had some weird eyes and looked roughly like a dog… or racoon?

Suddenly, the Dogoo thrust its entire body into my chest.

"Omghf!"

"I told you. They may look cute but they still are monsters."

"M-monsters!? This world has monsters in it?"

"Um… yeah? We usually call them 'mobs' but we obviously have them. You just got attacked by one!"

"Wait, this thing is considered a monster in this world? Hahahaha! Okay, you guys had me worried a little, but if this thing classifies as a monster, then I think I'll be okay."

"Just one of them isn't bad, but… well look behind you."

I turned and saw an entire field of blue slimes coming toward us.

"That… could be a problem. I hope they didn't take my last comment as an insult."

"They're coming right at us! Compa! Gear! Get ready for battle! Nate, do you have a weapon?"

"I'm in my pajamas. What in all things holy makes you think I have a weapon on me?"

"Right. Remind me to slap you for that later. Just stay behind us!"

"Way ahead of you! I'll be here; giving you guys moral support!"

* * *

><p>...Well this certainly could have gone over better. These Dogoo things have swarmed over them and seemed to be in the process of stripping them. IF was fighting with Katars in each of her hands, Compa with what looked like an oversized syringe, and Nepgear with an arming sword that had a… pink blade? Actually, the blade looked kind of strange, too. Like it was made out of concentrated light...<p>

"Dammit, Nate! Get your ass over here and help!"

"No thank you. After that near death experience from earlier, I'm not sure I'm up to par for this. Besides, have you seen me? I have no muscle! I'm about as intimidating as a fish out of water. Because that's what I am. This environment is completely new to me!"

"No! Don't do that!"

Hmm? Oh, seems like poor Nepgear is now under a pile of Dogoos. Wait a second…

"Nepgear! Just transform! I think your wings would just scatter the Dogoos all over the place, if transforming itself doesn't do that!"

"Ah!"

Oh good, it worked. Nepgear then proceeded to finish off the remaining Dogoos with what appeared to be a gun from a Gundam...

"Wow, you guys weren't kidding about the CPUs being strong… or Candidates or whatever."

IF walked straight up to me.

"Oh Crap!"

Ugh!

"I thought you said you were going to slap me! Punching is much worse!"

"You didn't… see… anything, did you?"

"'See'? What is there to see? You're not exactly wearing a skirt or dress."

"I meant of the others."

Nepgear and Compa suddenly froze up as they were straightening out their clothes.

"All I saw was a pile of blue slimes. Nothing more; nothing less."

This is true. I was too busy laughing at the concept of blue slime dogs. And that they actually posed a threat to these girls. They didn't even look like they were doing anything dangerous, just perverted.

"Fine." IF said.

The three girls, then, dissipated their weapons.

"Right, see when you guys materialized those weapons, it was quite shocking to me. How does that work? Magic?"

"So you guys don't even have this in your world? It's common here, though that makes sense why you responded to me the way you did earlier."

"Hm?"

"When I asked if you had a weapon. In our world, you can get accessories that read your mind and materialize items that you have in storage. They're stored wherever you have the accessory programmed to store them. For us, we have them programmed to send and receive items from the storage rooms at Planeptune's Basilicom. My accessory is my ribbon, Compa's is her headband, and Gear's is her D-Clip."

Now that she mentioned it, each of these girls is wearing something in their hair. I wonder if that's common for people here.

"So does everyone in this world wear something on their head or in their hair?"

"Well, most people just wear watches or glasses that act as these do. Ours were all things that we just liked and had custom made."

"That's something that would be handy where I'm from. But we only just learned how to relocate single particles from one point in space to another. And that was very limited, so I'd say we have quite a ways to go until we get here."

Actually, maybe I should learn as much about this world's technology as I can before going home. Then again, the results of that would be unpredictable. We'd probably end up killing ourselves since we wouldn't fully understand the technology.

"Your world seems very inconvenient."

"Well, I would say I agree with you, but at least we have cars where I'm from. This walking is painful."

"We have cars here, too. But we only ever use them for travelling within cities. There are too many monsters outside of the cities."

"Hmmm… Makes sense."

* * *

><p>From the looks of it, we are almost at the perimeter of the city.<p>

"So, why did you ask about my nursing earlier, Nate?"

"Oh, well, the fact that you were 'in-training' suggested you were either in higher education, like myself. So I thought maybe I'd be able to find out more about this world and you… Also the silence was really getting to me."

I heard IF chuckle a little.

"Oh, so you were also going to a university back in your world?" asked Compa.

"Yeah, though I have no way of knowing if it's different from yours or not."

"What do you study?"

"I study mechatronics engineering."

I paused and looked at them. I was met with the all-too-familiar stares I get whenever I tell that to someone.

"Essentially, I'm learning to build…"

"ROBOTS!"

"Oh, dear Lord! Who… wha-..."

Nepgear was standing in front of me with a sort of spark in her eyes. I have no idea if I should be saying that she's correct or asking how she somehow got from the other side of Compa and IF to right in front of me in the time it took me to blink.

And now, Nepgear was leaning uncomfortably close to me, staring at me with her dazzling eyes.

"I… uh… I'm not… what's going on?"

I looked over to IF and Compa to see if they could help me out.

"I think Neptune once mentioned Nepgear has a passion for robots and had a lot of technical knowledge, but I've never seen it myself, to be honest."

"I LOVE robots! They're so romantic and cool!"

Well this is the most animated I've seen her outside of her other form. But she's almost like a completely different person.

"What kind of robots do you like? How many have you made? Can you-"

"Hold on, please! Too many questions at once! I'm only *learning* to build robots. And don't get into any technical stuff for at least two more semesters. Well, maybe one if I work hard. Also, robots in my world are fairly recent technologies. I'm willing to bet what you think of as robots is well above the level my world would even dream of creating anytime in the near future."

"Aww… I was going to show you mine if you showed me yours."

This girl…

"Please don't use that expression ever again. At least, never to a guy. But, if we do ever have free time, I would be interested in examining any robots you have made. I may not be as *in* to robots as you, but they do still interest me."

"Ah! I have just the perfect stuff to show you! Follow me!"

"Wait, Ge-Ge! Don't run! I'm still tired from that last battle!"

"Oh, right. Sorry, Compa. I lost myself for a second there."

More like a couple minutes.

"It's okay. We're almost at the city, anyway. Then, you can show him your robots!"

"That's a great plan, Compa!"

"No, no it's not. Did you guys forget, Nathan needs to get back to his home. If Histoire is capable of helping him, then it would be best for him to head home. We have to save Gamindustri."

"Oh, right."

Nepgear looks really depressed right now. Was she seriously that excited about showing off her robots?

"Aww, but Nate just got here, Iffy. He should at least stay for a cup of tea!"

"We don't know how long he'll be here, but we do have a mission to get done. If we finish it before he goes home, then we can have a cup of tea with him and everybody else."

"Okaaay."

Well, things certainly have a got livelier in this group. At least the silence is gone. We continued making small talk until we reached the Basilicom.

* * *

><p>Hmm… So THIS is the Basilicom? I saw it on the outskirts of the city but I didn't realize it was a building. It looked more like some great form of architecture. Actually, it reminded me of the Reapers from Mass Effect, only it was completely white and purple… and not trying to destroy all sentient life in existence… I do hope this world IS a different dimension and not an alien world that becomes the creators of the Reapers. Though these people on Planeptune don't look anything like the Leviathan… Dammit, I'm rambling again. My thoughts tend to go on huge tangents.<p>

"Histy, we're ho~ome!"

Compa gave a hearty announcement of our return. This place looks even bigger on the inside than on the outside.

"Oh, welcome back you three… uh… four? If you don't mind me asking, who are you?"

I couldn't believe what I was seeing: a fairy sitting on top of a levitating book. How does that even work?

"I… uh…"

"This is Nate. He came helplessly falling out of the sky, so Ge-Ge flew to his rescue! She was so cool!"

Dammit, Compa, you're making me sound pitiful… Well, given this situation, I guess I am pretty pitiful. But it hurts to admit.

"Out of the sky, you say?"

"*Nathan* here claims he's from a parallel universe and wants to get back home. Think you can deal with that? We really need to get going to Lastation. Which reminds me, Nepgear acquired the mascot character's power, but an underling from ASIC did smash it before we got there. So we are in a bit of a time constraint."

"I'm not claiming anything more than what seems logical."

"Let's see… you three wait here. As a tome, I may be the only one who can help him if he is from a parallel universe. Can you tell me why you think you're from another universe?"

* * *

><p>"I see. Given your situation, I would say that it is highly probable that you are, in fact, from another universe. I would like research this a little, but thanks to ASIC's influence, my time is very limited."<p>

Histoire turned to the three girls.

"I regret asking this of you, but the Basilicom and guild have a lot of work that I am tied up with, so I am afraid I cannot watch over him effectively and teach him our customs. Would you three take him with you to Lastation? Hopefully I would have had enough time to research interdimensional travel by the time you return."

"What!?" IF exclaimed. "You expect us to keep him with us? We're doing dangerous work! You should've seen him when we were attacked by Dogoos! He did absolutely nothing!"

"This is true," I agreed. After all, I have no idea what kind of manic missions these three are going on. I'm not really sure I want to find out, either.

"Oh, but you did give us good direction during battle!" Compa remarked.

Dammit, Compa. You're not helping!

"I'm a scholar, not a fighter!"

"That's right!" Compa exclaimed. "You can build us new weapons and armor! You are an engineer, after all!"

I have no idea what goes on in this woman's head.

"I'm an engineer STUDENT! I'm not qualified to BUILD anything!"

"Actually," interrupted Histoire, "though student you may be, I believe I may have a way for you to help them on their journey, at least until I can find a way to help you get home."

Histoire summoned forth a wristwatch and held it out to me.

"Here. You may not know what this is, but it allows you to materialize items from our Basilicom's storage."

"Actually these three told me about this earlier."

"So you're familiar with the concept of it then? That makes things easier for me. This is a special version of theirs. It allows you to synthesize any recipe registered in its database. Just select the recipe, and, if the ingredients are in storage, then they will mix together, creating the item itself. You can just stay out of battle and synthesize medicines whenever they seem to be hurt. The only thing is that rather than using your mind to summon items, you have to actually scroll through the lists and pick what you want to materialize. Oh, but you can only fuse things that have already been made once before. If you come across a new recipe, you'll have to build it yourself first and send it through storage. The watch will see how it was composed and be able to make it afterward. The others should be able to help you with that."

So it's a learning smart watch? I suppose I could work with that, but I'm not really a pharmacist...

"Wait, isn't that Compa's job?"

"No, silly!" Compa interrupted. "I'm a nurse! I don't make medicines. I just make sure people take them. By force if I have to~!"

That last sentence definitely doesn't go with the smile she's giving me now. Do I seriously have to stay with this lunatic?

"Do I have any other options available to choose from?"

"Hmm… none come to mind. If this upsets you, then I do apologize. I know you just want to go home. But until we are able to relieve the pressure that ASIC has put on us, I'm afraid all my time is spent trying to manage this nation the best I can."

Well now I just feel bad.

"Oh, no. I'm not upset. It's just I feel vastly inferior to these three girls. And I already owe them so much for just saving me, so I don't want to bother them more than I already have."

"Oh, Natey, there's no need to feel bad about that~!"

Compa had moved over to where I was and began patting my head. I'm not sure if I'm okay with this. But then again, I don't sense ill intent. Still, I need to be careful around her when she has her needle out.

"Compa's right. Think nothing of it."

Nepgear was trying to reassure me, as well.

"Then, I believe it's time that we decide on our next course of action. ASIC is targeting the mascot characters. We know that they're heading after Lastation's next."

"It seems to me as though you have finally gotten over your trauma, Nepgear. At least not all was for naught, then."

"Y-yes. More or less. Though I am a bit unsure if I'm up to the task. I will do my best!"

"That is good to hear. Now, while you are in Lastation, it may be best to seek help from the CPU Candidate there, as her power will undoubtedly only further aid our cause."

"Actually, Histoire, we were hoping you would be able to set us up a meeting with the Candidates from other lands," IF said.

"I'm sorry, but even in this time of crisis, the Basilicoms throughout the land have not made much contact with each other unless the CPUs were the ones involved in the interaction. I'm afraid I do not know the oracle or Candidates in the other lands, or even if they will help you. However, I have no doubt that they would like to see the return of their sisters."

"Well, now that we've got a plan, let's move out!"

"Right!"

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: I do think that Planeptune has a Mass Effect Reaper situated in the center of it thanks to how it was portrayed in Mk2 (didn't know you couldn't put links in here, must've missed that on the rules and guidelines, so thanks for that!)<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: If I owned the Neptunia franchise, I'd have much more interesting things to do than write fanfiction. Sadly, I do not.

* * *

><p>Prior to our departure, IF suggested I change outfits. Comfortable they may be, pajamas aren't exactly quest-appropriate. However…<p>

"So, why am I wearing *this*?"

I was in one of those Japanese gakuran, or the male equivalent of sailor school uniforms. It had a similar pattern to Nepgear's, being mostly white with a purple tie. Not exactly what I'd consider quest-appropriate either, but I guess Nepgear makes it work.

"Sorry if it makes you uncomfortable," Nepgear answered. "It was a surplus uniform from Planeptune's various high schools. The uniforms usually change every few years, but are universal. As such, factories usually make too many and send any they don't sell to the Basilicom. Neptune… I mean my sister, and I usually wear the surplus uniforms as well, as you can probably tell. We also don't have any guys living at the Basilicom so we don't have any other men's outfits."

Oh, so THAT'S why this timid girl is wearing this revealing shirt-dress thing…

WAIT A SECOND, THIS WAS STANDARD IN HIGH SCHOOLS!? WHAT KIND OF SICK SADIST FORCED THIS COUNTRY'S FEMALES TO COOPERATE WITH THIS EXHIBITIONIST SCHEME!?

"Uh… hello, Nate? You okay?"

Wha-?

"Oh, sorry IF. Did you say something?"

"I was saying that you should be thanking Nepgear and Histoire for all they've done for you; not criticizing them."

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to give off an impression that I was upset! I really do appreciate everything you have done for me! It's just… I've never worn one of these before, so it's taking some getting used to. But I really am thankful! Please don't think my silence means I'm unhappy with anything. I just… think a lot."

I really am socially inept. I think way too much, which usually results in people thinking I'm cold and unfeeling. Which I suppose IS a little true, but it always makes me upset when people judge me solely on that…

"Seriously, what are you thinking about?"

"What?"

"Well, I just asked if you had anything you wanted to know about Lastation before we got there, but you kept making weird facial expressions, so I assumed you were 'thinking a lot,' as you said."

"Oh, well… it wasn't of any importance. Sorry for not paying attention. I really should since you three are taking care of me now. But since you offered, I would like to know about Lastation. Planeptune was very… purply and white. And everything looked very futuristic. Is Lastation the same?"

"Lastation is known as 'The Land of Black Regality.' It's technology is second to Planeptune, and, as it's title suggests, consists primarily of black buildings. It really has more of a steampunk environment than anything."

Steampunk!? That sounds awesome!

"Unfortunately," IF continued, "Lastation suffers from massive pollution due to their industrialization."

"I… see."

At least seeing a steampunk city would make it worth visiting at least once, I would think. Then again, I may just be saying that because my world doesn't have any true steampunk environments. Needless to say, I'm quite excited.

"You okay?" IF asked.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"You have this weird… scowl?... on your face."

"Actually… I was smiling."

Another unfortunate side effect of being me, I can't convey emotions well. It doesn't help that my standard expression makes it seem like I'm constantly frowning.

"Hahaha! THAT'S how you smile? You seriously looked like you plotting world domination or something. Gear certainly seems intimidated by you!"

"Hmm?"

I glanced over at Nepgear and, surely enough, she seemed very nervous about something.

"Ah… I'm sorry if I scared you."

"I-it's fine!"

Nepgear seemed very jittery. Compa on the other hand…

"Oh, Ge-ge! Nate doesn't look *that* evil."

This girl says so many things that seem like she's taking jabs at me that it almost seems like it's on purpose.

"Y-you're right. I'm sorry."

"Please don't apologize. That just makes me feel worse."

"Ah! I'm truly sorry!"

And now I feel terrible, even though I know I did nothing wrong. Thanks, Nepgear.

"Ugh… please just drop it. Talk about something more interesting. Like robots or something."

"Ah!"

Nepgear's eyes started sparkling again.

"Whoa! Settle down, girl! We need to focus on our task. Nathan, don't rile her up!" IF tried to calm Nepgear.

"Y-you're right. I'm sorry, IF," Nepgear replied.

"Now, now, Ge-ge, it's fine to relax a bit, just not *too* much!" Compa said.

Things are still a bit awkward between us four. They would undoubtedly work better if I was not here, so I feel like I should just sneak away. The only thing wrong with that is that I have no place to sneak off to. So, I'm kind of stuck with them. But I don't know enough about them to make idle conversa…

"You're making faces again, Nathan."

"Dammit!"

* * *

><p>"We're here! Lastation!"<p>

"Oh, wow! This place! The machinery! The smell of oil!" Nepgear was back in her overly excited form.

"Is this your first time, here?" asked Compa.

"Yes, but Neptune told me a lot about it. She even brought back souvenirs that she allowed me to tinker with. They were always so cool, too! I really want to go look around!"

"Keep the girly shopping stereotype locked inside for now," interrupted IF. "We've got a lot of business to take care of."

"R-right. Lastation is in danger, too. We must be vigilant!"

So this is Lastation… I have to say, this steampunk setting is quite splendid to see: massive black towers, satellite arrays, a dark setting… If I had to make a comparison to something from my dimension, it looked like Midgar from Final Fantasy 7. Unfortunately, the smell… is noticeably terrible. How can Nepgear actually enjoy it?

"Well, Nate? What do you think about it?"

IF broke me out of my trance.

"It's cool. Could use some fresh air though."

"Umm… I meant do you think we should go to the guild and look for quests and information on the mascot character, or head to the Basilicom to look for the CPU candidate?"

So I did miss part of the conversation. I really need to pay better attention.

"Oh, sorry. Um… well, whomever is attacking the mascot characters is already here looking for the mascot character. I'd say we are running low on time. I suppose you guys could go out looking for the mascot character and I could…"

"Are you still trying to ditch us?"

"Oh, no. I just don't want to get in your way."

"Okay, then. Tell me, do you even know how to get to the Basilicom here?"

"Well, no, but how hard would it be to find a map or something?"

"Maps are a waste of space. We all just use GPS on our phones, which I assume you don't have."

Seriously!?

"Then, maybe I could ask someone for directions."

"... Tell you what, go ask that person over there for directions."

IF gestured at a teenager texting on the side of the road.

"Okay, I will. Hey, excuse me!"

"What the hell do you want? I'm busy here!"

So this is why IF suggested I talk to him.

"You sure do look busy, texting like that. I'm impressed, really. Any faster and you might set a world record. I mean, how dare I ask *you* of all people for help."

"Man, whatever! I don't think I asked for your criticism!" The boy ran off down the street.

"My apologies! Truly you are a man among men!" I called after him.

Well, that could have gone better. At least he didn't shank me or anything. Though I probably could have handled that a bit better.

"I see what you mean IF. Thanks for not letting me go off on my own."

"People used to be nicer, but then ASIC started corrupting the youth. So most act like that now. Just stick with us. The Guild is probably our best option."

"Just so you know, we don't have this 'Guild' thing in my universe either, but guessing on what I know about fantasy worlds (from video games), I assume they act as a hub for information and goings-on in the world?"

"More or less. You can accept quests here for the local population. Usually completing quests, such as mob hunting, will reward you with money and items, as well as the nation usually receives at least a temporary increase in shares."

So if someone is without a job, they can just take up questing then. Convenient. Screw college!

* * *

><p>...<p>

This place was barren.

"So when I heard of this 'Guild' thing, I was kind of expecting it to be swarming with adventurers," I stated.

"This just means Arfoire, ASIC's leader, holds a majority of the shares for this nation… I hope we get some good info here," IF replied, seeming slightly peeved.

"Let's take care of some quests until we can get some information," Nepgear suggested. She then ran off to the clerk counter.

"Excuse me, I heard I could sign up for quests here."

Well, that was certainly odd. Nepgear almost sounded like two people for a second there… or maybe that girl next to her just happened to say the exact same thing she did? That's uncanny. IF, Compa, and I walked up behind Nepgear, but she seemed like she was now speaking to this new girl.

"Huh?"

"You're here for quests, too? Aren't you a little young?" the stranger asked.

"Excuse me!? Please look at yourself before making such rash judgements," Nepgear sounded slightly irritated. That's a first, not that I've known her long enough for that to warrant any meaning.

"I'm an exception! I'm super tough! Aside from that, I have to get stronger as soon as I can in order to catch up… Never mind. Why do you want to do quests?"

"I have a duty to aid this land and reclaim shares on behalf of the CPU of Lastation."

"Oh, how noble. I bet you're a straight A student. Shall I applaud for you?"

"W-what? Did I say something weird?"

"Haha, sorry. It's been some time since I spoke with someone my age; I became too casual."

"I see… I haven't spoken with someone my age… well, ever really. I've always been around adults."

Hmm… so that's why she seems so mature. Though she certainly seems to be lacking in social experience. Reminds me a bit of myself before going to college…

"Oho, I see. I'm Uni. And you are?"

"Nepgear. It's nice to meet you, Uni."

"Nepgear? Well, since we're acquaintances now, want to go on an adventure together?"

"You mean… teaming up with me?"

"Yeah, something like that. I've always done quests by myself, so I'm curious to see how it goes with others in my group."

'That sounds like a marvelous idea! ... But…"

Nepgear turned towards Compa, IF, and I.

"Oh, I see. You already have a group. Makes sense, since you look as frail as a twig."

"What the goodness! Please don't say that… even if it's true."

"Is it alright for me to come with you guys then?"

"Don't worry about that; the more the merrier! I'm Compa, a nurse in training." Compa responded cheerily.

"As long as we get our work done, then I'm fine with it, too. I'm IF, a guild agent."

Then they all turned towards me.

"Hmm? Oh, right! Introductions. I'm Nathan, a scholar… please don't rely on me too much."

"Well you certainly have a strange group. Anyway, it's nice to meet you. I'm Uni."

* * *

><p>Uni is the shortest person in our group by far. Her hair falls halfway past her back and is completely black, matching her black dress. Her dress itself is short and has blue linings. She also had ribbons in her hair, resulting in her having twin pigtails. Her skin is smooth and her eyes are a dark red or burgundy. She seems much more friendly than the guy I spoke to earlier, so maybe this place isn't a complete lost cause.<p>

"Um… is there something on my face?"

Crap! Didn't mean to stare.

"Oh, sorry! I was just… uh… trying to match your name with your face?"

"Are you asking me or telling me?"

"Let's just… take a quest and leave."

"Already on it," said IF.

I seriously hope Uni doesn't think I was being a creep.

* * *

><p>"Is this place *really* in Lastation?"<p>

I looked around and we were on top of a bunch of platforms built on top of the ocean. It seems as if there used to be a resort here, but I see no people. It definitely did look like a resort area; stunningly beautiful.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Uni seemed a little irritated.

"Oh, I don't mean any offense to Lastation. It's just, Lastation is so dark and polluted and this place… is not dark and polluted."

"I'm pretty sure all you just did was cause offense to Lastation."

"... Sorry. But why is this place so different? Where are all the people?"

"Hmm… well this place used to be a major resort several years ago, but then Lastation wanted to be more competitive with Planeptune. So Lastation's focus shifted to increasing productivity, which reduced vacation time to everyone, and, as such, this resort became desolate. Monsters moved in, and now it's considered a dungeon."

What a shame.

"By the way, Nate, before we go in, I need to tell you something," IF said as she pulled me to the side.

"What is it?"

"Shh! I need to tell you what to synthesize if we get in battle, but if Uni sees that you don't know how to use the synthesizer, she'd be suspicious. She'd probably freak out if someone claimed to be from another dimension, so we should keep that a secret."

"I… see… So what do you need me to do?"

"When you want to synthesize something, just tap on your watch. A list will show up of the recipes you have. What you need to do is synthesize Nep Bulls if we get injured in battle, and SP Chargers if we ever use magic or skills augmented by magic."

Oh, nice. I think I want to see some magical fireworks.

"So how do I know when you guys use magic?"

"We'll always be shouting skill names whenever we use magic."

Of course you will. What did I expect?

"Alright, got it. Let's go."

We went back to the others.

"So what was that about?" Compa asked.

"Oh, nothing much. I was just telling Nathan to make sure he stayed a decent distance away from any mobs we run into here."

"You couldn't have just told him that in front of everyone?"

"I think she doesn't want to repeat that earlier incident with the Dogoos, so she was giving me a stern lecture that you three didn't need to hear," I answered.

"Y-yeah, that's it! If he hadn't picked up that Dogoo earlier, we would've avoided that entire battle," IF reaffirmed my statement, though that kind of makes me feel like I caused everything.

"I'm pretty sure we all could have just ran from that battle," I stated.

"Oh, jeez. You guys have issues with Dogoos?" Uni asked. "Maybe you all should just stay behind me. I'll make sure this quest gets done safely."

* * *

><p>So monsters in this world don't look threatening at all. We ran across strange frogs wearing box hats, rabid squirrels, strange 8-bit block enemies that looked like they came from<em> Space Invaders<em>, and… the animated skeletons of fish? Okay, that one was kind of scary. But the others were laughable. Especially when compared to this group of girls…

"Wow, Uni, you really are strong aren't you?" asked Nepgear.

"Hehe, well I guess I *am* pretty awesome. But you aren't so bad yourself, Nepgear."

"Teehee, looks like they're pretty good friends, already, huh?" Compa stated.

"It's been a while since Gear has smiled like that. Running into Uni was fortunate for us," IF replied.

To be honest, I have no idea how Uni even handles her weapon. She's using a bigass gun; bigger than she is. How is the recoil not knocking her down every time she shoots? This world must be where all the Amazons went. I think my manliness is at stake here.

"Good job, everyone. Any of you need any Nep Bulls?"

These things certainly do remind me of a particular energy drink, but whatever. I don't see how an interdimensional lawsuit would hold up in court.

"Ugh… please tell me you have OTHER types of medicine for us. Those Nep Bulls are absolutely disgusting."

Uni tripped earlier and ended up drawing a bunch of mobs to her in the process. So I got to synthesize my first item then. However, she practically spat out all the Nep Bull she drank saying it was disgusting… and she wasn't overreacting. Thanks to her reaction, I decided to try it. The results were horrid. Just another reason to stay out of battle I guess… ugh, I'm really lacking in manly qualities, aren't I?

"Sorry, Uni, but we really don't have that many recipes in our database," Nepgear apologized.

"Oh, fine. I'm not really hurt anyway. Just a bit winded. But looks like we're finally done with the quest. Another job well done."

"This isn't fair, Iffy! I've known Ge-ge way longer than this girl, but she seems closer already!"

"Now, now, Compa, don't turn into a green-eyed monster over this bratty kid."

"Ugh… you princesses always seem to make everything into a feel-good daytime family movie. HIYAH!"

Nepgear, Uni, and I all turned towards whatever was making the ruckus.

"And with the chaperones out of the picture… wait… Crap! I missed one! I didn't even see this guy! You guys are getting party members WAY too quickly! This might be tougher than I thought."

Well, I'm essentially useless, but she doesn't need to know that. Looks like this girl knocked out Compa and IF. She had pastel green hair and red eyes… and had pointed ears? First time for that here. I seriously don't think anything can surprise me in this world anymore. Anyway, she was wearing some strange, unzipped mouse hoodie thing. Under that... she wasn't exactly wearing a shirt, almost as if she was trying to show off her figure, but… let's just say her figure is "lacking" in some areas. What a shame.

"Who is this hag?" Uni asked.

Oh, nice one, Uni.

"This is Underling. She's one of ASIC's lowest level peons, isn't that right?"

And a good follow up by Nepgear.

"Dammit! SHUT UP! Stop calling me that!"

So I'm guessing this is who Nepgear, Compa, and IF were referring to earlier; the person who is trying to destroy the mascot characters.

"ASIC? Step back, Nepgear! I'll handle this goon, myself!"

"No can do. She hurt my precious friends once again. I won't forgive her! Nathan, go see if IF and Compa are okay!"

"Roger that."

"Ha! Like you two can beat me yourself! I only let my guard down last ti- huh?"

As I was running to assist Compa and IF, but I glanced back to see what cut short Underling's sen- huh?

"You didn't even wait for me to finish my sentence!?"

Turns out that Uni can transform. So that's a thing. Remember when I said I didn't think anything could surprise me anymore? Well, that was a lie. Because I totally wasn't expecting this. And somehow her gun got even BIGGER. Though looks like her chest compensates for that… pretty sure it was a bit bigger prior to her transforming… ANYWAY, Uni's CPU form was wearing something similar to Nepgear's CPU form, but it was completely black. Also, her hair went from black to white. And it shrank. And her pigtails turned into twin drills. I really don't understand this CPU transformation mechanic thing. Oh well, I should probably get on with helping Compa and IF.

"Hey, you two. You okay?"

I checked their pulses and they seemed fine, but were both unconscious.

"Hmm… I think I can fix this."

I opened up both of their mouths, synthesized a Nep Bull, and then proceeded in pouring a little in each girl's mouth.

"Augh! *cough* *cough* What the hell are you doing, Nathan!?"

"Well, you two got knocked unconscious by Underling over there, and so I needed a way to wake you up. I knew that Nep Bull had strange healing properties and it also tastes awful. So that seemed like the perfect solution for un-unconscious-izing you guys. Oh, also, Uni's a CPU candidate. Who knew, right?"

IF and Compa glanced over my shoulder at the battle going on behind me.

"She looks flatter than when she was in her human form…"

"Iffy, that's mean!"

"I thought the same thing!"

Though, now that I think about it, IF really shouldn't be the one to make a comment like that.

"Where the hell do you think you're looking?"

Crap, she noticed!

"I was just, uh, admiring your body's, uh, muscle structure."

"You pervert!"

Not again!

"Ouch!"

Well, at least she slapped me this time instead of punching me. I kind of deserved that I guess.

"Anyway, looks like Gear and Uni are doing fine on their own," IF said, more toward Compa than me.

"Mirage Dance!"

Nepgear proceeded to dance circles around Underling and ended up smashing her five times with her Gundam gunblade thing.

"Damn you two! Two Candidates versus one human? You'll regret playing unfair!"

Underling ran off. IF and Compa aren't in any condition to follow, and it looks like Nepgear and Uni have something more pressing on their minds. The two reverted back to their human forms.

"...Nepgear, you're…"

"Uni, you're Lastation's CPU Candidate! I'm so glad we found you!"

Kind of glad I didn't try to look for her in the Basilicom. Don't know why I assumed she'd be in her Basilicom anyway, not like Nepgear ever is… Though I've only known her for less than a day. Come to think of it, I'm tired. How are these girls still so energetic?

"You'll fight with us, right? We have to save your sister and protect Gamindustri together!" Nepgear exclaimed.

"Don't touch me, traitor!"

Uh oh. That doesn't sound good.

"T-traitor?"

"Why!? Why were you saved while my sister got left behind!?"

"T-that's because…"

"She refused to take me along with her three years ago… Had she let me go instead of you, then maybe I could have… I could have…"

Uni looked like she was about to break down in tears. Her voice was shaking and she was obviously upset.

"I'm so sorry, Uni. I admit I failed three years ago, but now we can-"

"Shut it! Don't ever speak to me again! We aren't friends! Period!"

Uni ran away screaming…

"You okay, Nepgear?"

I could see that she was devastated. If what she said before was true, then she has never had a friend her own age, so I can only imagine how she must feel… even though it's been less than a day. Uni is probably the closest person she's ever met that could relate to her. Solitude in company, huh? I guess I can relate to that… Sadly, I don't know anything I can say to make her feel better. So instead, I opted just to place my hand on her head to let her know that we're still here with her.

"Everything will be okay, Nepgear. Uni obviously didn't mean what she said. She's just upset that her sister is still missing. Give her time, and I'm sure she'll come around."

"*sniff* Y-yes."

She didn't seem to be in a talking mood. Understandable. And I don't think mentioning robots would help here, either. We ended up staying at that abandoned resort for quite some time.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Still don't own the Neps.

* * *

><p>The next day in Lastation, the group and I asked around about the whereabouts of the mascot character. Well, not really asked so much as we were informed by a bunch of people of how annoying we were. I didn't really expect our endeavors to be fruitful, since it seemed unlikely that people of no importance would have valuable information like that.<p>

"*sigh* I guess we have no choice. Let's go see Lastation's oracle," IF said.

"Wait, why didn't we just do that earlier?" I asked.

"Because I believed we had a choice in the matter. Lastation's oracle isn't exactly known for being the most… diplomatic person in the world."

"Then why the hell is she in a position of diplomacy?"

"Because her shortcomings in diplomacy are more than made up for in her prowess as a manager, so I hear."

"I… see…"

This ought to be fun.

* * *

><p>"Thank you for receiving us," Compa said cheerfully.<p>

IF looked kind of miffed already.

"Welcome to Lastation's Basilicom. I'm this nation's oracle, Jinguji Kei."

We were met by a businesswoman with short, silver hair. If I hadn't been told beforehand she was a woman, I'd have trouble distinguishing her gender. Well, as long as she does her job well then I guess no one should be complaining about her appearance.

"I heard you had something to discuss with me directly. Compa, IF, Nate, you three are from Planeptune, correct?"

Well, technically I'm not, but not like I can correct her on that front.

"Oh? You heard of us? How embarrassing…" Compa blushed.

"Don't get me wrong; collecting information is my profession. I've monitored your movements since you arrived."

"Your reputation precedes you."

Had IF not mentioned the oracle earlier, I'd have thought she was actually complimenting her. I wonder how this is going to play out...

"We're looking for Lastation's mascot character. Do you know where it is?" Nepgear asked while bowing.

"Naturally, I do. However, what is the value of this information?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"Unless I receive something of equal value, no transaction can occur. Business 101."

"Right, because saving each lands CPU and restoring balance to the world doesn't more than make up for that."

Everyone turned their heads toward me.

Crap! Did I say that out loud?

"So you would have me give you a line of credit even though I have no reason to believe you can follow through with it?"

I dislike confrontation, but it seems like she's getting worked up. Perhaps I could get her to reveal something by accident.

"If the world is destroyed, business cannot exist. Also Business 101."

Kei's face grew dark.

"... Just what happened three years ago? What is happening in that graveyard?"

"So you knew…" Nepgear began.

"I know that Lady Noire has been missing ever since she went there three years ago, and, with Miss Nepgear's appearance before me now, I can conclude that you guys have been there recently."

"So you knew about Nepgear this whole time, I see," IF stated.

"Why is Nepgear the only one here? What happened to Lady Noire?"

Seems like she did get a bit emotional.

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Hold up, Gear. Business 101, right? It's bad ethos for you to probe us for information like that."

Nice one, IF.

"Heheh… My apologies. As for the whereabouts of the mascot character, I will give it to you if you provide me with components for a new Lastation invention. We are in need of a Treasure Gem and Hematite."

So she's still just going to demand us to do stuff for her? Even though the world is at stake? No one is going to call her out on this? Really? Ugh… I hate business types.

"Those are… rare materials. Where would we even start for finding those!?" IF asked.

"Oh, so you won't do it? My apologies. I miscalculated the information's value."

I've never been so tempted to hit a woman.

"Alright, we'll look for them," Nepgear responded.

I'm pretty sure we could have haggled a little, maybe. Kidnapping Uni and holding her for ransom would even work… or result in a war between Planeptune and Lastation. Maybe I shouldn't be in charge of negotiations.

"Then I will see you again when you have those items."

The four of us then left the Basilicom.

* * *

><p>"And that's why I didn't want to meet with the oracle. I showed her, though," IF said with a look of contentment.<p>

"Yes, you were extremely cool," Compa replied.

"I have to agree with Compa," I said. "You handled yourself very well. Maybe you'd be a better oracle than her."

"Aw, shucks. You guys give me more credit than what's due."

IF seemed very happy with the turn of events.

"So, do you guys have any idea where we could search for the Hematite or Treasure Gem?" Nepgear asked.

"Unfortunately I wasn't kidding when I said those items are exceedingly rare. I mean, some monsters like hoarding gems, so that may be a start, but it's not like we can just go busting up every monster den we see. And shops won't stock them because they're afraid of being broken into."

"So we may end up having to go monster hunting anyway?" Compa asked.

"Well, we *may*… but before we try that, let's split up and search for clues here. We spent most of the day searching for the mascot character, so it'd be best to split up to cover more ground. Let's meet back at the inn at sundown. Nate, you're coming with me," IF stated.

"What? Why?"

"Because if you get lost or something happens to you, none of us will know. Also, I think that's probably something we should remedy, so we're heading to a phone shop first."

"Oh, lovely."

* * *

><p>"Since this will be your first time getting a phone, you can get a free phone if you sign a contract. So we should ask the clerks which phones are available for that."<p>

IF and I had walked into a phone store. It looked pretty normal compared to the rest of this world. In fact, I was deeply surprised with all the flip phones they had available here. My dimension seems to almost exclusively use smartphones.

"Hey, this guy here is looking to get a contract. He's from one a faraway village that doesn't use phones, so he's not upgrading or anything; he just needs to get a phone," IF seemed to be handling the negotiations.

"Oh, customers! I see, and what provider should I set him up with?"

"He's working with the Basilicom in Planeptune, so set him up with Planeptune's carrier."

"Very well! Come this way and I'll show you the models you can get for free when signing a Planeptunian contract."

All these phones were flip phones, but they all apparently had some basic functionality of GPS and other internet access. And they were all purple. And they all had D-Clips on them… Is this a fad in Planeptune?

"Well? Which do you like the most? Probably more advanced than what you're used to, huh?" IF asked. The clerk had walked back behind the counter, telling us to call him when we decided.

"Actually, I was expecting some sort of holographic projector phones or something. My dimension's phones are all smartphones, pretty much. Though I do remember using flip phones. They tend to be more durable, if I recall. Though it'll take some getting used to not having a touch screen anymore."

"I'm impressed. Your dimension seemed technologically challenged up until now."

"I can't really argue with that, but at least we don't have to worry about world-ending calamities. Anyway, do you have any recommendations? To be honest, as long as I can call you guys when need be, I think it'll be good."

"Is that so… then, this one will probably work for you. It has a 1.3 megapixel camera, 32 gigabyte memory, and text to speech ability… Oh! But this one has an infrared scanner on it. It can be used as a type of monster radar… Ah! This one is also…" IF continued on and on about each of the phones, their advantages, and how they each compare with each other.

* * *

><p>IF seemed to really enjoy phones. In fact, by the time we told the clerk which phone I wanted, IF was going on about how she was also wanting to upgrade some of her phones… Phones… As in several individual phones. Where does she put all of those?<p>

"I-I see. Thank you very much for your business!"

We ended up staying in the store for over an hour because IF was testing each of the phone models. This was actually the most "feminine" I've seen her since I met her. She's always acted tomboyish, but she's really enjoying shopping… even if it is for something concerning technology... Though Nepgear also enjoys technology. Maybe women here are more into tech than guys.

"This was a lot more fun than I thought it would be!"

IF was ecstatic.

"Yes, and thank you for paying for everything," I replied.

"Oh, no need to thank me. I mean, I had intentions of paying for you anyway. You don't exactly have an account to pay with."

"Oh right…"

"Anyway, should we get going back to the inn?"

It was getting to close to sundown.

"Ah! We didn't even try to get any information!"

"Oh, don't worry about that. I highly doubt we would have found out anything valuable. I really only sent out Compa and Gear to look around just in case there was some information they could gather. If people here don't know about the mascot character, then I'd say them knowing anything about the Treasure Gem or Hematite is even less likely. Also, I'd feel bad for Gear if we went shopping for you but didn't allow her to shop as well."

"So what if she went shopping as soon as we split up?"

"Pssh, right. Nepgear follows rules and directions very well. I have no doubt she's trying her hardest at finding any information she can."

"Kind of makes me feel like we're slacking off."

"Well, we could have gone around the city and searched for info, but like I said, I doubt there would be any. So we can't really slack off on work that doesn't exist. Instead, I thought it would be best to at least get some work done by buying you a phone."

"I like the way you think."

* * *

><p>"Hi Kei, I'm home."<p>

Uni walked into the Basilicom, still upset from the events of the previous day.

"Kei?"

"Oh, welcome back, Uni," Kei said in deep thought.

"Are you okay?"

"Well, to be honest, I think I may have erred in my ways of diplomacy earlier today. The group from Planeptune came seeking help, so I told them if they helped me, then I'd help them. Unfortunately, it seems I felt a bit emotional talking to them, much like you did last night."

"O-oh."

There was a slight pause in their conversation, but then Kei broke the silence.

"So, have you decided if you are going to help them yet?"

"W-well, I don't exactly plan on it. I mean, I understand she's just upset as me with her sister still there, and it wasn't nice of me to yell at her like that yesterday, but… argh! I just can't stand the thought of grovelling in front of anyone!"

"Hmmhmm… I see. Well, I'm certain you will make the right decision when it comes time to. After all, you ARE Noire's sister."

"R-right!"

* * *

><p>"So what is our plan for tomorrow?" I asked.<p>

We were all eating dinner around a table at the inn.

"Well, since we didn't find any info today, maybe we should just go around random dungeons and beat up any monsters we see. Something should have a Treasure Gem or Hematite," Compa replied optimistically.

I'm not looking forward to tagging along with these girls as they go dungeon raiding. I can't believe that a world exists in which someone can say, "I'ma go raid a dungeon!" and no one raises an eyebrow.

"I'm a bit jealous though. Iffy got to spend the entire day with Natey! I bet you too got all close and stuff!" Compa asserted.

"Calm down, Compa. All we did was go shopping," IF replied.

"B-but you came back all happy-like. And you have new phones!" Compa objected.

"I have to say, I'm kind of jealous, too. I really wanted to go shopping around Lastation, as well," Nepgear claimed.

"We really didn't go shopping for anything more than a phone, though," I said.

"So the entire time you guys were off together, all you did was look at phones?" Nepgear asked.

"W-well…"

I'm not entirely sure if IF would like it if I told them that she was the reason it took so long, so I ended up averting my eyes and looking at IF.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" IF questioned.

Seems she doesn't even realize it was her fault.

"N-nothing. A-anyway, we really didn't do anything aside looking at phones," I responded meekly.

Compa and Nepgear looked at me suspiciously.

"You keep stuttering," Compa said.

"*sigh* Because I didn't want to say this, but after choosing which phone I wanted, IF looked over every phone in the store and researched each in great detail. So…"

I couldn't bring myself to actually say "It was all IF's fault," but Compa began smiling.

"Oh! That makes sense! She does do that every now and then. But IF, that's no fair! You got to go shopping, so why couldn't me and Ge-ge go?"

"H-hey! It's not like that! We really went there just for Nathan. I just happened to see some interesting stuff. It was only natural I picked them up while there. Two birds, one stone. We had intentions of searching for information afterward, but… I guess *we* got a bit sidetracked."

"For over an hour?" Nepgear asked.

"Oh, Ge-ge, you haven't gotten to see IF's geekiness for cell phones! She always has at least nine on her at all times!"

"Wha-!?" Nepgear and I said in unison.

"Jeez, I knew you bought quite a few, but I didn't expect so many."

"It's only natural! I'm a guild agent. Phones are a vital source of information!"

At first, I had thought that IF was the only normal person in our group, but seems like everyone has a 'thing' here. But it's kind of refreshing seeing this scene. It's a much friendlier atmosphere than yesterday. We continued teasing her for a while.

* * *

><p>It was getting pretty late now.<p>

"Alright, alright. Let's stop teasing poor IF," I said. "Besides, we need to decide where to start our monster hunting tomorrow."

"Ah! That's right!" Compa agreed.

"Good point, Nathan!"

IF looked relieved a bit.

"Actually, I think there was a dungeon called the 'Endless Zone' close to the city outskirts. It would probably be best to start there."

"I'd be surprised if we actually found either item in the first dungeon we searched, but we DO have to start somewhere," I stated.

"Alright, group, let's take a break here and go to bed."

* * *

><p>I almost feel bad for being a guy. We had to rent a separate room for me because none of us felt comfortable with the idea of a guy sleeping with a bunch of girls. I mean, had we been closer and there was more trust in our relationship, I don't think we'd have too many issues with the idea of a co-ed living space. I doubt anything bad would happen, but I'd feel extremely guilty due to all the help these girls have given me if something did. Though, a normal guy would jump at the opportunity to sleep in a room with all these girls… then again, each one of them is more than capable of defending themselves from perverts. In fact, I'd kind of feel bad for the guys in that case. So if I ended up in any awkward situation with these girls while we were all in our pajamas, I'd probably end up dead… I didn't think about that last night… man, am I glad we ended up agreeing on separate living quarters after all.<p>

* * *

><p>"So, Iffy, what do you think about Natey?" Compa asked.<p>

"I think he's an amiable guy, but he seems to think more than he speaks and his facial expressions are hard to read. However, I do think he is really thankful for us watching out for him. And he seems more caring than he lets on."

"Kind of like you?" Compa retorted.

"H-hey! What is that supposed to mean? I'm cynical, not uncaring!" IF defended herself.

"Hehehe, I know, Iffy. I was just teasing you. You were the one who organized us rescuing Ge-ge."

Compa moved over to IF and patted her head.

"Speaking of which, what about you, Ge-ge?"

"M-me? I'm a bit unsure what you want me to say. His face scares me, but I know he's a good guy, since he tried cheering me up yesterday…"

"Come now, Ge-ge! Don't get all depressed on us. It's like Natey said, I bet Uni is wondering how to make it up to you."

"You're right. Thanks, Compa!"

"But I kind of feel bad for him," Compa said. "He has to sleep all by himself."

"Well, even if you trusted him to sleep in a room with us, isn't that a bit embarrassing?" IF asked.

"Y-yes. I agree," Nepgear agreed, blushing a bit.

"Well, Gear, you've never had any real experience talking with guys before, even if you do get asked out quite a bit of them."

"Oho! Ge-ge, you're popular?"

"N-no! I've never even really spoken with a guy before! Or anybody aside from you guys, really."

"I heard from Neptune that Gear gets asked out by guys often, but she always runs away due to embarrassment."

"Oh, please stop you two! It's embarrassing to think about!"

"Oh, no! You all got to tease me at dinner, so I'm only returning the favor."

"But I didn't tease you…"

"But you still laughed along with everyone, so it's the same."

"Haha! The night is still young, ladies! It's time to gossip!" Compa declared.

And so, the three stayed up all night, gossiping until the early hours of the morning.

* * *

><p>AN: Unfortunately, I felt I couldn't write as many comedy scenes in this chapter. So I wanted to try delving deeper into plot and character relationships. Sorry if that bothers people. Also, I welcome all reviews and opinions.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Do people even read these? It's not like these really protect you from anything.

* * *

><p>"Hiyah!"<p>

These girls are almost like different people on the battlefield. Maybe I'm just not used to seeing a bunch of beauties fighting on the battlefield, but I could never imagine these three being warriors. That said, they are exceptional in battle. There's only three of them but they work very well together. Nepgear usually acts as the vanguard, getting most mobs to focus on her. While she parries with her sword, IF usually dances around their flanks, defeating any enemy that's fallen behind the rest. Compa acts more as a supporting character, using spells to heal from a distance. To be honest, I feel like Compa does my job more than I do. I suppose my synthesizing P. SP Chargers during battle is helpful, but it hasn't been necessary really.

That being said, the only possible weapon I could use would be a gun or bow, and I'd have to stick to pistols if I used guns. I don't like the idea of being compared to Uni though, since she uses a gun which is bigger than I am. I can also see why women have to have their hair tucked into their hats in the military. Beautiful they may be, their hair seems to always whip around their faces in battle. I don't think it bothers them, but still… it seems annoying.

"Good job everyone!" I said, handing out the SP Chargers to everyone.

"Thanks, but I'd be in a better mood if we had found even the slightest bit of information over either of the items," replied a miffed IF. "Though if it were that easy, I doubt that shrewd oracle would have even bothered asking for our help."

"We have to keep looking…" Nepgear responded, looking slightly depressed.

"Hrmm…"

We all sat around seeming pretty annoyed at our current situation.

"What's up you guys? Is something troubling you?"

Oh jeez! Another girl suddenly appeared before us. Seriously, don't ANY guys ever go dungeoning? I've only seen a bunch of action girls since I've gotten here.

"Oh! Yes! Well… you see…"

Nepgear seemed to be having trouble deciding whether or not it would be proper to ask a complete stranger for help on a matter I doubt anyone could actually assist us with.

"Well first off, I think introductions would be proper! I'm Falcom, a stock adventuress. Incidentally, I'm very meddlesome and can't leave troubled folks alone! So I tend to stick my nose in their business," replied this girl with a huge grin on her face. Well, she certainly does seem meddlesome, but not in a bad way.

"A stock adventuress? They do lots of fetch quests! Maybe she knows something!" Compa whispered excitedly.

"Not like we have other leads. Why not give it a shot?" IF responded.

Nepgear seemed more encouraged with IF's support.

"We're looking for items called the 'treasure gem' and 'hematite,' but are having trouble finding them on our own."

"Hmmm…" Falcom seemed to be thinking deeply, but eventually broke herself out of her trance. "I've never heard of Hematite, but as for the treasure gem, it is futile to look for it here. If my adventuress log is accurate, and it always is, monsters in Planeptune's Virtua Forest have been seen with it."

I can't believe someone in a random dungeon we decided to go check out actually had valuable information. Wait, Planeptune? If we go back there, maybe Histoire will have found out something about returning me home!

"You've gotta be kidding me!" IF exclaimed.

"While I'd love to meddle some more and guide you guys to it, my current goal lies in the opposite direction. Sorry," Falcom replied, genuinely seeming sorry.

I can't believe this world is home to both people as nice as Falcom and at the same time people like that guy from Lastation. The contrast is too much!

"Oh, please don't apologize. Your information is more than enough!" Nepgear responded.

"I'm glad you have all seemed to have cheered up! I'll take my leave now and hopefully we'll meet again some day. Good luck!"

Such a truly good person! I feel like scum compared to her! Well, not just her, but Nepgear is really nice, too. Just not as independent and meddlesome. Though the meddlesome bit could end up being one's downfall, so maybe it's good Nepgear isn't like that. Anyway…

"So, if we are heading back to Planeptune, do you think we'll have enough time heading back to the Basilicom? To be honest, I kind of want to see Histoire."

"Of course," replied IF. "The Basilicom is our base of operations, so we will be staying the night there whenever we're in Planeptune."

Oh, excellent.

"We really should hurry back now, though. We've wasted a lot of time," Nepgear noted.

She's right. We spent a large part of today fighting random mobs, getting nowhere fast. Good to see she is becoming slightly more assertive now, though. She's beginning to take lead more.

* * *

><p>"Histy, we're back!"<p>

Compa ran into the Basilicom, throwing open the doors, making our return noticeable to anyone who happened to be in the vicinity.

"Does Compa always give such a... hearty notice when she returns home?" I asked IF.

"Pretty much. She's always been very energetic and happy-go-lucky, but she can be serious at times."

"I see…"

We got back pretty late, so IF suggested we just spend the night at the Basilicom and head out in the morning. I'm used to walking around all day due to school, but even still, I would think this hiking would have me more exhausted than it does.

"Hello, you four. Have you acquired aid from Lastation's mascot character?"

"Unfortunately Lastation's oracle wants us to obtain a couple items for her before she'll tell us her location," Compa answered.

"I see. And one of these items is located in Planeptune?"

"Yes. Virtua Forest. We plan on going there tomorrow," Nepgear replied.

"Very well. Be sure to rest up well tonight. And Nathan, I would like to speak with you concerning your situation."

"I was actually going to ask about that myself."

"Aww… Is Natey going home already?"

"Not quite. While I was able to do some research, I needed to ask some questions for clarification."

"Ask away," I replied.

"There are several ways to traverse dimensions. The content of my questions will try to narrow down which method was used in your coming here. First question, does magic exist in your universe?"

"Um… I would say 'no,' but some people. albeit very few, would beg to differ."

"Hmm… and you said your universe doesn't have Share power either…"

"So does that help at all?"

"It may. If your universe was connected to ours by something or someone in your universe, then they would have had to use advanced technology. But your description of your universe makes me think that wasn't it either. So you most likely were drawn into our universe by someone or something from our universe."

"So… what does that mean exactly for me?"

"As I said, there are several ways to traverse dimensions, but I can skip over reading about a few. Though most likely you were summoned here by a summoner."

"Pardon?"

"Due to the release of a popular game company's JRPG, many people became fascinated with summoning several years ago. Summoning magic opens up a portal between worlds and whatever is being summoned sends its spirit through to aid the summoner until it is dispelled."

"So why haven't I been dispelled yet?"

"If someone doesn't complete a summoning, then the spirit gets trapped somewhere between the dimensions. If that happened, it is fortunate the summoning was halted after you were close to our dimension or you'd be separated from space and time itself."

"While that is interesting, I'm more interested in how to go back home."

"Oh, right. My apologies. If the summoner finishes the summoning and then dispels you, you will be sent back home, however…"

"What?"

"Most summoners know not to cancel a summon half way through. So they were probably being attacked when they summoned you. Probably for help."

"Who… why in the world would someone summon ME for help? I'm as threatening as a puppy!"

"They probably were desperate. And, while this is hypothetical, if you desired your world to be different, your subconscious might have answered the plea."

"YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!"

"Wait, so Natey is here because he wanted to be here?"

"Of course not! Like, I sometimes wish life was more like games, but that desire is very minute."

"That's all it has to be to answer the summoner's call."

So I caused my own kidnapping? But if summoning is common, then maybe this explains previously unexplained disappearances of people.

"I do not claim to know a lot about summoning magic, however. So I cannot explain why the summoner was trying to summon a being from your magicless dimension. All I know is what I read in my limited spare time. Give me more time and I might be able to find a way to reverse it."

"Well, thanks for at least telling me how I got here."

Well I haven't exactly been bored since I got here. So maybe I should just indulge in this world's entertainment as long as I'm here. Like doing something I've never done before.

"That means you get to stay with us longer, Natey!"

"Dear Lord!"

Compa had jumped at me, wrapping her arms around my neck, practically suffocating me.

"C… Compa! I… c… can't… b-breathe!"

I struggled to escape her grasp, but she ended up tackling me again.

"Oho! We can't let you escape that easily!"

* * *

><p>"We ended up horsing around for a while. We really ought to go to bed soon," IF suggested.<p>

The three had been teasing me and how my inner chuunibyou spirit caused me to get interdimensionally kidnapped. Well, mostly just Compa and IF. Nepgear seemed kind of distant, like she was either thinking of something or she was just very bored, but found it socially unacceptable to excuse herself.

"Then, I think I'll go on ahead to bed. Good night," Nepgear said.

"Good night, Ge-ge!" replied Compa cheerily.

I began to get up and leave as well, but I felt a slight tug on my sleeve. As soon as Nepgear disappeared from sight down the hall, I turned to Compa, who had grabbed me, and IF, who seemed to notice Compa's strange action. In fact, looking at her, Compa isn't smiling as she normally does.

"So, what's bothering you, Compa?" IF asked.

"It's Ge-ge. She didn't seem to enjoy being with us tonight. And not just that, but she seems to be way too concerned about her work to do anything. I think she's working too hard."

"Well, you guys are supposed to be saving the world or something, right? That's kind of a big deal," I remarked.

"We should do something for her. I'm worried it'll affect her health if she concerns herself with work too much."

"I suppose. As they say, 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.' Perhaps we SHOULD have let her shop in Lastation, too," I replied, staring at IF.

"H-hey! We only went to the phone store for you!"

"And I thank you for that. However, we really didn't need to spend an hour there."

"A-anyway, aren't we talking about Nepgear, here? What do you guys think we should do?"

"I don't know her well enough to make suggestions, but I do think taking her shopping in Lastation next time we're there would be fun for her. Probably."

"Good idea! Ge-ge can go on a date with you like Iffy did!"

"We weren't going on a date, dammit!" IF defended herself.

"Oh yeah, let me get right on that with all that knowledge about Lastation stores and locations I don't have."

"Aw, you two are no fun. Killjoys," Compa pouted.

"Well, how would you like it if you and IF's places were switched?"

Her eyes started sparkling. Oh dear, what have I done?

"That would be great! We could go all over Lastation and become such good friends!"

I don't think this girl understands the connotation behind the word 'date' if that's what she meant. Don't know why I expected anything different. Not like I was ever popular with women. Then again, calling us 'killjoys' suggests she does… Wait, did she just dodge around a chance for us to tease her? Clever girl…

"So, did you come up with anything else, Nathan?" IF asked.

"What?"

"You were making faces again, so you were thinking, right?"

"Oh, um… not really anything else comes to mind. Like I said, you guys know her more than I do. Maybe contacting Uni and having her rejoin our party would help, but…"

"We might not want to rush things between them."

"Yeah, I know."

"We haven't had real homemade food in a while, so perhaps we could cook her breakfast in the morning?"

"Oh! Another excellent idea, Natey!"

"I don't know if that will help her keep her mind off of work, but it might allow her to relax a bit," IF stated.

"Alright, then you guys should prepare whatever her favorite food is tomorrow."

"Wait, us? Why not you?"

"Because I don't know her? I thought I went over this multiple times now."

"No, I mean, you sound like you aren't going to be taking part in the preparations tomorrow."

"Well, I don't know how your kitchen works. All that strange tech that might be there and stuff. Also, it might be more effective coming from people that are closer to her than me. Show her that you guys really care while I'm just there to act like I helped."

"You came up with the idea. You have no right to NOT help us."

"...Okay."

"Then it's settled. Make sure to wake up at least an hour earlier than we normally do. We have to make sure Nepgear doesn't feel the need to wake up before us to prepare us breakfast!" IF exclaimed.

"Yeah, that does sound like her, doesn't it?" Compa responded.

"Wow. She really sounds hard working. Though I suppose I can see it just being around her for a few days. I really hope this helps her, even if just a bit."

If she is a workaholic, then I bet she will be somewhat upset when she realizes we went out of our way to make breakfast if she thinks that was her duty. I guess the only way to find out is to wait for tomorrow…

* * *

><p>"What the Goodness are you guys doing!?"<p>

"Um… making breakfast?" I answered.

"No, I mean, why are you guys making breakfast so early?"

"Well, breakfast is the meal that you eat in the mornings, isn't it? Why would we be cooking anything else?"

"No, just… I was coming down to make sure your breakfast would be ready for you all when you woke up."

"What do you know, she actually did try to do that," I told IF and Compa, who were dipping piles of rice into bowls to finish preparations for breakfast.

"Wha-?"

"See, we wanted to ease your worries if only just a bit. I mean, we could've gone off and tried to save the world for you and all, but we doubt we could succeed without you. So we just settled on making you breakfast. Now go wash your hands!"

Nepgear gave us all a puzzled look before complying with our orders. By the time she came back, breakfast was ready.

"Thank you, Ms. Compa and IF. And you too Mr. N-"

"Please don't ever call me 'Mister.' I can't be THAT much older than you. Also, we did this to thank you for all your hard work so far. Just don't overdo it, 'kay?"

"What do you mean?"

"We feel like you are overworking, Ge-ge," Compa interjected.

"Yeah. While I personally like that you're serious about your work, you won't get anything done if you run yourself ragged. So, we will get our work done, just at a steady pace," I agreed.

"But every minute we spend wasting, my sister and the other CPUs are being held prisoner!"

"From what I've gathered, you guys fought an incredibly strong being three years ago, right? It beat all five of you guys. Do you honestly think you'd stand a chance at beating her by yourself if you exhausted all your strength just to get to her? I'm not saying we laze around all day. Just don't overdo it, okay? We'll worry about you. Well, -they- will. I'll just be mildly peeved that you didn't heed our warnings after all we've done for you. Which isn't that much, but still," I replied, probably much more verbosely than I should have. But it was kind of embarrassing saying I'd worry over someone I'd just met.

"Well… thank you all," Nepgear said. It almost looked as if she was going to cry. Not sure if from relief or just over all the stress of her work.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, lets eat! I'm starving. Almost even ate one of those pudding packs in the fridge, but then saw they expired quite some time ago."

"Ah!"

"What?"

"Those were probably Neptune's from a long time ago," IF explained.

"Speaking of which, I hardly know anything about her. If you don't mind, what was she like? She was the ruler of this nation, right?"

"Well, she was, but…" IF began, but looked over at Nepgear as if she were unsure how to continue.

"Hmm? Oh, Onee-chan? She was a great sister! I loved playing games with her all the time! And I cooked snacks and made tea for her often. She enjoyed them a lot, but her favorite was pudding. If she liked pudding any more than she does now, I'd probably get a bit jealous…"

"I… see… But that doesn't really explain what kind of leader she was."

"Well," IF spoke up again, "she didn't really lead. She more or less did nothing but sleep or play video games all day."

"With Nepgear? But you're such a hard worker! I'd never peg you for being a lazy shut in."

"What the goodness! Please don't make such rash comments! I try my best to work as hard as I can!" Nepgear seemed deeply hurt.

"No, Nepgear is as hard a worker normally as she is right now. It's Neptune that is lazy. Nepgear hasn't had much experience going out on her own, but she's always done superb in school and at house cleaning. In fact, if she were the CPU of Planeptune, Planeptune's shares would skyrocket compared to the other nations."

"Wow… so why don't you usurp your sister's throne?" I joked.

"Wha-!? I could never do that! Neptune is my dear sister! I could never take her place!"

"Relax, it was a joke. But, why do you love your sister so much if she never does anything?"

"Because, she's my sister! And she can be a hard worker if she needs to! You just HAVE to meet her, and you'll fall in love with her, too!"

"I doubt that. But I digress… It's good that you have such a positive relationship with your sister. I hope we save her soon."

"So you'll be staying with us until we rescue Neptune and the others, I take it?" IF asked.

"Ah… well, you guys have been very nice to me. And very supportive. I'd feel bad if I abandoned you, but if I end up finding a way home, then that may take precedence. I kind of feel like I don't add much to your party though."

"Not this again. Come on, you play games right? Do you always use every party member you have available?"

"No, but…"

"You can just be a benchwarmer or something like that. Besides, if too many people get involved in fighting, we'll just get in each other's ways."

"Alright, alright."

* * *

><p>"So is that the monster?" Compa asked.<p>

"I see the treasure gem! It must be hoarding it!"

After eating, we went straight to work. We heard information about a large monster being seen within the forest's premises. However…

"You guys have dragons in your world!? How are you supposed to kill that thing? It's huge!"

"We told you we have monsters in our world," IF responded.

"Yeah, but they've all been puny and laughable; hardly worth any effort to take down. This is a DRAGON!"

"Yeah, so stay back. This might be a hard battle!"

IF charged the dragon, trying to draw its attention while Nepgear (in her HDD form) flew behind it and started shooting at it with her cannon. Unfortunately, it seemed uninterested in those two, almost as if it didn't realize it was even getting hurt.

"Looks like it's got some thick skin," I noted.

"Indeed. They'll either have to break off its scales or hit it in its mouth, which it only ever opens to eat," Compa replied.

"Is it just me or is that dragon getting closer to u- OH HELL!"

The dragon lunged at us, seemingly trying to eat us. Compa pulled me just out of the dragon's grasp.

"What in the world is this thing doing!?"

"Get out of there, Nate!"

"I'm trying, dammit! It's not like I'm very athletic though!"

The dragon kept baring its fangs at me. Luckily most of its movements were easy to guess, probably due to its huge size. It didn't seem that smart either, but if I messed up even a little bit at dodging, I'd be wasted.

"IF, I thought dragons only consumed magic. Why is it snapping at Nathan?"

"I'm not too sure, Gear, but it looks like we'll be able to use that to our advantage if we play it right. Nate, run towards us!"

They didn't need to tell me twice. This thing was targeting me it seems, so I didn't feel too bad leaving Compa by herself. The dragon ran past her and charged me again. However, when it lunged at me this time, IF was able to tackle me out of the way, and Nepgear fire at its open mouth with her cannon. The dragon made a terrifying gurgling noise and then dematerialized.

"While I thank you guys for saving me, again, can you explain to me why it was trying to eat me instead of you guys? You seemed like a bigger threat than me."

"Well, dragons aren't supposed to eat anything but magic. So maybe it has to do with you being summoned here? Does it really matter? I mean, you're safe now. And look! You helped us in battle finally!"

"I did nothing except run."

"Yeah, but we wouldn't have been able to deal with the dragon that easily if you weren't here. Also, look! The Treasure Gem!"

"Yayifications! We finally got one component!" Compa said gleefully.

"Yes! Now we just need to find the Hematite and we'll be on our way to the Lastation Mascot Character!" Nepgear agreed.

I almost died and these girls are acting like it was nothing. Is this seriously an experience that they're used to already? My heart is pounding!

"Ain't going to happen, you dumb broads (plus one). Your ugly mugs are going to be smushed on my boot, here and now.

"Oh great, it's you again. Didn't you knock out Compa and IF preemptively last time because you knew you couldn't beat us in a fair fight?" I asked.

"You've lost so many times, already. It must be so difficult for you, Miss Underling," Compa added.

"I guess the lowest rungs on every corporate ladder gets exploited beyond their capacity, huh? Nepgear said.

"That's it! I'm killing all of you right now!" Underling screamed as she brought out some mechanical comrades.

Oh great. IF and Nepgear look slightly winded after their bout with the dragon.

"Don't worry! I'll just transform and end this in one fell swoop!" Nepgear said.

"Not so fast!"

"Wha-!? Why can't I activate HDD?"

"It's called a 'Secret Weapon' for a reason. Did you think I'd come to this fight without a trump card? This monster seals HDD! Mwahaha!"

Monster? It looks like a robot to me. Oh well, that's not important. Things are looking bad for us… Huh? Is it just me or am I hearing music? Yeah, pretty sure I hear a guitar and drums playing from somewhere.

"Um… do you guys hear that, or am I go crazy?"

"What are you… oh wait! Sounds like a theme song!"

"Come again?"

"Some people get magical songs attuned to themselves. They start playing when certain criteria are met. That means someone else is near here…"

Suddenly a person jumped down in front of us.

"What? The hell're you? Don't barge in here now."

A new person has arrived, staring down the underling. She wore scarf/cape and had her navy blue hair tied up like a samurai. She actually looked quite heroic, though I'm kind of concerned about her choice of bra. By that, I mean her shirt is open and she didn't seem to have a bra on… though on second glance I realized why. She's flatter than I am. This is a girl, right?

"It is a basic truth that evil is wrong," this new person began speaking. "To foil your evil plan, I shall crush ASIC, down to the final man!"

The music was noticeably louder and I could hear choral voices surrounding us. This girl seemed to think she was very heroic, making various overly exaggerated hand motions.

"In a time of crisis, the superheroine makes her grand entrance! The defender of Gamindustri, Nisa, has arrived!"

I don't think any of us truly understood what this idiot was saying, though I think she came here to help us? Maybe?

"Who in the hell is this spandex idiot? She's gotta be high as a kite," the underling grumbled to herself.

"Yes, on justice! Goddess, I shall lend you my aid!"

Ah, okay. So she IS here to help us.

"Huh? But who are-?" Nepgear began.

"Formalities must wait, for evil will not! We will speak after we defeat them!"

And the music is getting even louder. Maybe I should get out of the field of battle before it's too late. Yeah, gonna just go right over here…

"Hiyah!"

And with that, the four girls charged the underling and her robot lackeys in a battle that will be spoken of around the world throughout the ages…


End file.
